Reciprocating piston pulse jet engine



Dec. 29, 1964 J. P. REILLY RECIPROCATINGPISTON PULSE JET ENGINE 5Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 22, 1963 JOSEPH P. REILLY INVENTOR.

Dec. 29, 1964 J. P. REILLY 3,163,001

RECIPROCATING PISTON PULSE JET ENGINE Filed April 22, 963 s Sheets-Sheet2 Joseph P. Reilly INVENTOR.

' BY 44 TTOBNEY Dec. 29, 1964 J. P. REILLY RECIPROCATING PISTON PULSEJET ENGINE Filed April 22, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 JOSEPH F? REILLYINVENTOR.

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ATTORNEY Dec. 29, 1964 J. P. REILLY RECIPROCATING PISTON PULSE JETENGINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 22, 1963 m OE m mm mm mm N2 N1 mm EE ow 0 mx wx m 8 H mm 5 v. vm w on H K 2 o. w T mh mw mm 1 H vh 3 mm J o6 No S mm .8 5 vw v mo JOSEPH P. REILLY INVENTOR.

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A T TOBNEY Dec. 29, 1964 J. P. REILLY RECIPROCATING PISTON PULSE JETENGINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 22, 1963 JOSEPH F? REILLY INVEN TOR.

14 T TOBNEY United States Patent 6 3,163,001 REQIPROCATING PISTGN PULSEJET ENGINE Joseph P. Reilly, 300 Elmhurst St., Apt. 2, Hayward, (.alif.Filed Apr. 22, 1963, Ser. N 274,542 7 Claims. (Cl. 60-456) The presentinvention relates to improvements in prime movers of the type employinga reaction jet to produce motion, particularly those refered to as pulsejet engines, and it consists in the construction and arrangement ofparts as hereinafter described and claimed. Pulse jet engines known asresonant duct pulse jet engines would be replaced by my invention. Thisnew engine will also serve in many new applications for which jetengines of the present type could not be usefully or economicallyapplied.

An object of my invention is to provide a reciprocating piston pulse jetengine in which the air intake into the intake chamber of the engine isuniform in volume, permitting qualitative governing of the air-fuelmixture in conjunction with carburetion. Therefore uniform pressures aresecured at the time of ignition. The intake of the air-fuel mixture isused for internally cooling the engine and also the preheating of thefuel-air mixture.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the typedescribed in which a delay chamber is used and the air-fuel mixture istransferred to this chamber where the mixing and vaporization of themixture is continued. Greater quantities of heat from the main cylinder,piston and valve rod are absorbed by the fuel mixture to further preheatit and this heat is initially derived from the firing chamber. Thisarrangement establishes the reciprocating piston pulse jet engine as aregenerative motor.

In the pulse jet engine of my invention, the firing chamber is closedwhen the fuel-air mixture is introduced, and it is closed duringcompression and ignition. It remains closed until combustion is wellunder way and rising pressure forces the valve rod and piston upward. Myengine provides controlled combustion at high pressure and after athorough mixing and preheating of the air-fuel mixture. This assuresfuel efficiency and also high jet velocity.

The reciprocating piston pulse jet engine in all forms can be readilystarted and may be stopped instantaneously by opening the igntioncircuit as with internal combustion engines, or by fuel cut-off. Thisease of starting characteristic of my new jet engine greatly expands thefield of application for jet engines.

In the preferred form of my invention I make use of a crankshaft and aflywheel. The employment of the crankshaft and the flywheel permits thepiston assembly to be reduced to the lowest mass practicable,commensurate with providing a durable structure. The use of a flywheelalso introduces torque and if the engine is used in airborneinstallations, it would require a trim tab device on an airfoil sectionor the use of paired engine installations with contra-rotatingflywheels. In the case of plural engine applications employing three ormore cylinders, the flywheels could be reduced to a very low mass forsmoother operation as the firing rate of the cylinders would assurecontinuous operation.

In a modified form of my invention I use coil springs for moving thepiston in one direction rather than relying upon a crankshaft and aflywheel.

A second modified form of my invention is also described in thisapplicaiton. The operation of this form is fundamentally the same as mypreferred form, but it is accomplished without the use of a transfervalve or a check valve. The functions of these two valves are performedby a piston of a different design, a sleeve liner placed between thepiston periphery and the wall of the cylinder, and the provision of adelay chamber in the form of an annular cavity in the cylinder wall andcommunicating with the interior of the cylinder through ports providedin the sleeve liner.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the specification continues.The novel features of the invention will be set forth in the appendedclaims.

Drawings For a better understanding of my invention, reference should bemade to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification,in which:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal section through my reciprocating piston pulsetype engine and shows the various moving parts at the moment ofignition.

FIGURE 2 is a schematic showing of my engine with the moving parts inthe same position as they are in FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a schematic showing of my engine and the moving parts are ina position where the exploding gases are being expelled from the jetnozzle.

FIGURE 4 is a schematic showing of my engine and the moving parts are ina position where a fresh charge of a combustible mixture is beingdelivered to the intake chamber.

FIGURE 5 is a schematic showing of my engine and the moving parts are ina position where the piston is compressing the combustible mixture into.the firing chamber.

FIGURE 6 is a vertical section through a modified form of my engineshowing the parts in a position where the combustible gases are beingtransferred from the delay chamber in the piston into the portion of thecylinder disposed directly below the piston and above the disc valve.

FIGURE 7 is a vertical section of the modified form of the engine inwhich the moving parts are in a position for transferring thecombustible gases into the firing chamher, and flap valve is closing toprevent the return of the gases to the delay chamber.

FIGURE 8 is a vertical section of the modified" form where the movingengine parts are in firing position, and the jet pulse is being releasedas the plug is raised.

FIGURE 9 is a vertical section of the modified form with the movingparts in a position where the combustible gases in the intake chamberhave been almost entirely transferred to the delay chamber.

FIGURE 10 is a vertical section through a second modified form of myengine where the delay chamber is provided as an annular recess in thecylinder and is separated from the cylinder by a liner sleeve that hasports acting as passages between the delay chamber and the interior ofthe cylinder.

FIGURES 11 to 14 inclusive are diagrammatic views of the engine shown inFIGURE 10 and illustrate the moving parts of the engine in variouspositions during the operation of the engine.

While I have shown only the preferred forms of my invention, it shouldbe understood that various changes, or modifications, may be made withinthe scope of the annexed claims without departing from the spiritthereof.

Detailed Description In carrying out my invention I provide areciprocating piston pulse jet type of engine which comprises a casingindicated generally at A. Thiscasing has a cylinder B in which a pistonC is slidably mounted. In FIGURE 1, when the piston C is at the lowerend of its stroke, the upper portion of the cylinder is regarded as anintake chamber. The piston C is hollow and it has a delay chamber'Dwithin its interior. I will describe how a combustible mixture isreceived in the upper portion of the cylinder B when looking at FIGURE 1as the piston moves downwardly in the cylinder and will further explainhow the combustible mixture is transferred from the cylinder B into thedelay chamber D by passing through passages 1 in the piston. The delaychamber is smaller in capacity than the cylinder B and therefore thecombustible mixture will be compressed when it is forced into the delaychamher as the piston C moves upwardly in the cylinder.

The piston C has a rigid piston rod C1 extending therefrom and the outersurface of the piston rod is cylindrical and is slidably received in abearing 2 that is carried by the casing A. A connecting rod E ispivotally connected to the rigid piston rod Cl at 3 and has its otherend pivotally connected at t with a crank shaft F. A rotation of thecrank shaft will cause the connecting rod E to reciprocate the piston CWithin the cylinder B.

' Before describing the operation of the engine it is best to state thatthe cylinder B has an intake port Bit and a self-closing poppet valve 5is placed in the intake port and permits a combustible mixture to enterthe cylinder B, but closes and prevents any back flow of the combustiblemixture from the cylinder B into the intake port Bl, A coil spring 6yieldingly urges the poppet valve into closed position.

The rigid piston rod C1 has a longitudinally extending bore 7 thereinfor slidably receiving a rod 8 that carries a disc valve G at its outerend. FIGURE 1 shows the rod 3 extending through the delay chamber D andfurther shows the disc valve G as having a tlart surface 59 that isdesigned to bear against the underside of the piston C. The disc valve Galso has a central enlarged portion ll that is designed to enter arecess ll. formed in the bottom of the piston C. Adjacent to the centralportion it on rod 8 are smfl by-pass flats 23 which permits the Wallpressure gases entrapped by piston C between flap valve 61 and discvalve G to return to the delay charnoer. The piston has a centralopening 12 that places the delay chamber D in communication with thelower portion of the cylinder B when the piston C is moved upwardly inthe cylinde A flap valve G1 is slidably mounted on the rod 8 and has adisc-shaped portion having a diameter equal'to the diameter of thecentral enlarged portion to of the disc valve G. The flap valve Gil hasL-shaped fin ers 13 that limit the opening of the flap valve when thedisc valve G is moved away from the piston C during a portion of thestroke as will be hereinafter described. A coil spring 14 is mounted onthe rod 8 and has one end bearing against a shoulder 15 in the rigidpiston rod C1 and has its other end bearing against a nut and washer 16that is m tinted on the upper threaded end of the rod 8. V

A flap valve C2 'is slidably mounted on a cylindrical portion of thepiston C that extends into the delay chamber D. A coil spring 17 urgesthe flap valve C2 into closed position for closing the passages or ports1 in the piston C.

The cylinder B is enlarged at B2, see FEGURE 1, and this enlargedportion of the cylinder communicates with a firing chemist-31:18provided in the head 19 for the casing A. Spark plugs 2% are carried bythe head 19 and have their terminals projecting into the firing chamber18. The casing A may have air cooling fins 21 and the head i? also hasair cooling fins 21a integral therewith. The firing chamber 18 connectswith a jet outlet nozzle indicated generally atH. The crank shaft F maybe provided with a fly wheel 22.

Operation From the foregoing description of the various parts of thedevice, the operation thereof may be readily understood. In FIGURES 2,3,4-and 5, I show in a diagram- The parts are shown by single lines andcorresponding parts of the device shown in FIGURES 2 to 5 inclusive aregiven the same reference numerals and letters as are used in FIGURE 1.FIGURE 2 corresponds to FIGURE 1 in the position of the various parts.The piston C has completed its down stroke in the cylinder B and thecombustible mixture in the cylinder which is below the piston as thepiston starts its down stroke will all be compressed into the firingchamber 38. At this instant the spark plugs 26 will ignite thecompressed combustible mixture in the firing chamber. The disc valve Ghas a plug G2 and this plug is shown black in FEGURE 2 and in bothFIGURES 1 and 2 the plug closes the orifice into the jet outlet nozzleH. Therefore the initial firing of the gases in the firing chamber 18will move the disc valve G upwardly in the cylinder B as shown in FIGURE3 and the plug G2 of the disc valve will be removed from the entranceopening in the jet outlet nozzle H. The explodgases will not only drivethe piston C upwardly in the cylinder, but will also escape through thejet outlet nozzle H and exert a forward thrust on the engine and on thevehicle or airplane on which the engine is mounted. The crank shaft F isindicated in FIGURES 2 and 3 as rotating in a counter-clockwisedirection.

FIGURE 3 shows that as the piston C is moved upwardly during the firingof the combustible mixture in the lower portion of the cylinder, the newcombustible mixture that has been drawn into the upper portion of thecylinder B by the former downward movement of the piston C, will betrapped in the upper cylindrical portion because the poppet valve 5 isclosed. Therefore the trapped gases in the upper cylindrical portionwill flow through the passage 1 in the piston C and will open the liapvalve C2 and enter the delay chamber D. The arrows in FIGURE 3 show thismovement of the combustiole mixture from the upper portion of thecylinder B into tie delay chamber D. The opening 12 in the piston C iskept closed by the flap valve G1 which in turn is kept closed by thedisc valve G being forced against the bottom of the piston C during thefiring of the combustible mirture in the lower portion of the cylinder Band driving the disc valve G and piston C upwardly.

FIGURE 4 shows the crank arm of the crank shaft F starting on itsdownwardly movement. The connecting arm E will move the rigid piston rodCl downwardly and this will move the piston C downwardly. The downwardmovement of the piston C will create a vacuum in the upper end of thecylinder 3 and this will cause the poppet valve 5 to open and permit anew combustible mixture to enter the upper part of the cylinder '13. Theinlet portion B1 is in connection with a carburetor, not shown, and thiswill cause the combustible mixture to be fed through the inlet port B1and into the upper portion of the cylinder B during the downwardmovement of the piston C.

FIGURE also shows that during the downward movement of the piston C, thepartially comp essed combustible mixture in the delay chamber D willforce the flap valve G1 into open position and permit the partiallycompressed gases to move from the delay chamber D into the portion ofthe cylinder B disposed below the piston C. These gases will move thedisc valve G downwardly to force the remainder of the gases in thecylinder and below the disc valve, out through the jet outlet nozzle Has in dicated by the stippled portion in FIGURE 4.

in FIGURE 5 the crank shaft F has moved still farther in a counterclockwise direction and will force the piston C near to the bottom ofits stroke. The new combustible mixture is still being drawn into theupper portion of the cylinder B and now the flap valve G1 in the pistonC has closed the plug G2 of the disc valve G has closed the entrance tothe jet outlet nozzle H. The reason for the flap valve Git closing isthat the pressure of the gases between the bottom of the piston C andthe top of the disc valve G will exceed the pressure of the gases in thedelay chamber D and this is sufficient to close the flap valve. As thepiston C descends still farther, the combustible mixture below thepiston will be compressed and then will be forced past the enlargementB2 as'shown by the arrows in FIGURE 5 and will enter the firing chamber13.

The cycle is completed when the piston C moves entirely to its lowermostposition as shown in FIGURE 2 and contacts the disc valve G and forcesall of the combustible mixture into the firing chamber 18, except forthe small portion of the gas entrapped below the flap valve 61 which isreturned to the delay chamber D by way of the small by-pass flats 23.The parts are now ready for the firing of the combustible gases in thefiring chamber and the cycle will be completed.

First Modified Form of Engine I disclose a modified form of theinvention in FIG- URES 6, 7, 8 and 9. In this form a heavy coil springhas been substituted for the crank shaft and fly wheel. In all otherrespects this form operates on the same general principle as the formshown in FIGURES 1 to 5 inclusive. I show a cylinder indicated generallyat I, see FIGURE 6. A piston K is slidably mounted within thecylinder 1. The upper end of the cylinder is closed by means of a headerL and this header has a depending cylindrical portion 50 that enters thetop of the cylinder I. The outer diameter of the depending cylindricalportion 56 is less than the inner diameter of the cylinder I and thisleaves an annular space for receiving the upper end of a heavy coilspring M. The lower end of the coil spring bears against the top of thepiston K.

The piston has a rigid piston rod K1 and this piston rod extendsupwardly through a cylindrical central bore provided in the header L andin the cylindrical projection 58. The piston K has a delay chamber K2provided therein and a disc valve N normally closes the lowe-ropen endof the delay chamber K2,. The disc valve N has a rigid rod N1 thatextends upwardly from the valve and is slidably received in a centralbore 51 that is formed in the piston K and in the rigid piston rod K1.The rigid rod N1 projects above the "top of the piston rod K1 andextends through a housing L1 that is integral with the header L. The rodN1 also projects through the top of the housing L1 and it is providedwith a collar 52 at its upper end.

The piston K has passages 53 therein that permit a combustible mixturereceived in the upper portion of the cylinder I when the piston is atthe lower end of its stroke to pass through the passages 53 and to enterthe delay chamber K2 where the combustible mixture. is compressed. Thedelay chamber K2 is smaller in capacity than the capacity of the upperend of the cylinder I when the piston K is at the lower end of itsstroke. FIGURE 6 shows the piston K at the upper end of its stroke andat this point all of the combustible gases in the upper portion of thecylinder have been transferred to the delay chamber K2 by means of thepassages 53.

The cylinder I is provided with an inlet port J1 and this port isnormally closed by a spring-biased poppet valve indicated at 54. The rodN1 has a flap valve K3 that is adapted to close the lower ends of thepassages 53. A coil spring 55 is mounted on the rod N1 and has its upperend bearing against the flap valve K3 and its lower end bearing on awasher which in turn is supported by a shoulder provided on the rod N1.The flap valve K3 will open to permit the combustible mixture to flowfrom the upper end of the cylinder 1 into the delay chamber K2 duringthe upward movement of the piston K.

As soon as the pressure of the combustible gases within the delaychamber K2 exceeds the pressure of the gases in the upper portion of thecylinder I, the coil spring 55 will close the flap valve K3.

' The disc valve N has an outer diameter equal to the inner diameter ofthe cylinder J. However, the cylinder 6 has an annular recess 56, seeFIGURE 9, that is disposed at the bottom of the cylinder and this recesspermits the combustible mixture to flow from a point above the discvalve N and pass into a firing chamber 12 when the disc valve is in theposition shown in FIGURE 7. The firing chamber J 2 is formed in a lowerheader 57 and this header carries a jet outlet nozzle P. The disc valveN has a plug N2 that closes the orifice to the jet outlet nozzle P whenthe disc valve is in its lowermost position as shown in FIG- URE 7.Spark plugs 59 are carried by the lower header 57 and are designed toignite the compressed gases in the firing chamber J2 at the propermoment.

A floating valve Q is slidably mounted on the rigid rod N1 and thisvalve may move from a position where it will close the lower end of thedelay chamber K2, see FIGURE 8, into a position where it will be spacedaway from the lower end of the piston K and will open the lower end ofthe delay chamber K2. A coil spring 60 is mounted on the rod N1 and hasits lower end bearing against the top of the disc valve N and has itsupper end bearing against the floating or flap valve Q.

In the first form of my invention I show a crank shaft and crank arm forimparting motion to the piston. In the modified form shown in FIGURES 6to 9 inclusive, I can make use of any means desired for initiallylifting the rod N1 from the full line position shown in FIGURE 8 intothe dotted line position shown in the same figure. I will describe onemechanism for lifting the rod N1 but I do not wish to be confined tothis particular construction.

In FIGURE 8, a motor 61 is operatively connected to a drum 62. A cable63 has one end secured to the drum and a portion of the cable is passedover an idler 64. The free end of the cable is connected to a carriage65 that has rollers 66 receivable in a guide slot 6'7 provided in acasing 68 that houses the drum 62. The reciprocating rod N1 is providedwith the collar 52 at its top and a spring-biased pin 69 is supported bythe carriage 65, and the pin may be manually depressed for moving thefree end of the pin under the collar 52.

When the pin 69 is moved into a position under the collar 52, anelectric switch, not shown, will be closed and will connect the motor 61to a source of current. The motor will rotate the drum 62 to Wind thecable 63 thereon and move the carriage 65 upwardly. This will cause thedepressed pin to lift the collar 52 and the rod N1 into the dot-dashline position of FIGURE 8. At this point the curve in the slot 67 willmove the carriage 65 and pin 69, away from the collar 52 and will permitthe coil spring M which has been compressed, to move the piston K,downwardly in the cylinder 1.

As soon as the pin 69 is freed from the collar 52, it will be returnedto inoperative position by its spring and will open the switch, notshown, and disconnect the motor 61 from its current source. A coilspring 70 has its upper end connected to the carriage 65 and its lowerend connected to the engine casing at 71. This spring 70 will return thecarriage to its starting position. I have described only one mechanismfor starting the operation of the engine by way of example. Otherstarting devices could be used.

Operation of Modified F arm of Engine The downward movement of thepiston K, caused by the coil spring M in FIGURE 8, will draw into theupper end of the cylinder 1, a combustible mixture through the intake I1and past the poppet valve 54. If there is no combustible mixture in thefiring chamber being compressed by the disc valve N as it movesdownwardly with the piston, then the firing of the spark plugs 59 willhave no effect and the rod N1 and the piston K will have to be lifted asecond time by the operator again depressing the starting button 69.

During the second movement of the piston K in an upward direction in thecylinder J, caused by the operation of the starting mechanism, thecombustiie mixture in the intake chamber Will be forced through thepiston passages 53 and into the delay chamber K2; because the poppetvalve 54 will remain closed. The gases will pass the temporarily openedfiap valve K3 on entering the delay chamber. The end of this upwardmovement of the piston K in the cylinder J is shown in FIGURE 9.

The disc valve N has been kept closed during the second upward stroke ofthe rod N1 and the combustible gases will be retained in the delaychamber K2 and com pressed because this chamber is of far less capacitythan the intake compartment when the latter is at its greatest capacityas shown in FIGURE 8. The piston drive spring M will again move thepiston K, downwardly as soon as the pin 69 has been moved clear of thestarter cap or collar 52, aided by any remaining compressed gas in thenow greatly reduced intake chamber which has not been transferred to thedelay chamber. The flap valve K3 will be closed by the pressure of gasin the delay chamber and by the coil spring 55.

Also the compressed gases in the delay chamber K2 will force thefloating valve Q into open position and will force the disc valve Nahead of the descending piston K as the gases vent out into the cylinderspace I bounded by the bottom of the piston and the top of the discvalve. FIGURE 6 illustrates the piston K at the start of its downwardstroke with both the floating valve Q and the disc valve N moved awayfrom the bottom of the piston. When the disc valve N reaches the bottomor its stroke as shown in FIGURE 7, the plug tip N2 will close theopening to'the jet outlet nozzle P. When this occurs, the peripheryofthe disc valve N will be received in the recess 56, provided at thebottom of the cylinder 3. The

' combustible gases will therefore be forced into the firing chamber 12by the descending piston as the latter finally moves at the end of itsstroke into contact with the disc valve N. During this downward movementof the piston, a new charge of a combustible mixture has been drawn intothe upper portion of the cylinder or into the intake compartment. Theflap valve K3 remains closed.

The engine is timed so that the spark plugs 55 will exploded thecompressed gases in the firing chamber 32 when the piston K reaches thebottom of its stroke. This will instantly move the disc valve N andpiston K upwardly as shown in FIGURES 8 and 9. The plug NZ will uncoverthe opening 58 to the jet outlet nozzle P, and the exploding gases willissue from the nozzle and will force the engine in a direction oppositeto the exhausting gases. This is the driving or jet impulse force andconstitutes the work done by the engine. Whatever the engine is attachedto will be driven by the impulse delivered by the engine.

The cycle repeats itself as the upwardly moving piston K will force thegases in the intake chamber into the delay chamber through the passages53. Part of the timing mechanism for causing the spark plugs 59 to firewhen the piston K reaches the bottom of its stroke is shown at 72 inFIGURE 7. A roller '73 rides on the outer surface of the hollow pistonrod K1 and when the piston K reaches the bottom of its stroke, theroller will ride off the end of the hollow piston rod and will actuatethe electric circuit to the spark plugs 59, see FIGURE 8, firing themand exploding the compressed gases in the firing chamber.

A shock absorbing mechanism may be used to limit the final upwardmovement of the piston K and after the spring M'has been compressed tothe point generally indicated in FIGURE 6. The shock absorbing mechanismmay consist of a'large rubber disc 74, placed within the header L, andsecured to the inner top surface of the header. A protective disc 75,may be secured to the underside of the rubber disc '74 and the hollowpiston rod Kl will have its upper end strike the disc 74 and permit therubber disc '73 to absorb the shock before the turret the piston K Willstrike the bottom of the cylindrical portion 50 that projects into thetop of the cylinder 1'. The shock absorbing mechanism is intended forshock protection during initial tune-up and when changing fuels. Thecarburetor jets would be adjusted to limit fuel supply during normaloperation so that piston travel would be slightly short of the shockabsorber mechanism.

The flap or check valve Q slides on the rigid rod N1 and is urged in anupward direction by the spring 60. The check valve Q has a limitedtravel and its purpose is to close the discharge end of the delaychamber K2 after the compressed combustible mixture has moved from thedelay chamber into the portion of the cylinder J, disposed between thebottom of the piston K and the top of the disc valve N. The closing ofthe discharge end or mouth of the delay chamber K2 by the check valve Qwill prevent the combustible gases in the cylinder 3' from re-enteringthe delay chamber as the downwardly moving piston K forces the gasespast the disc valve N, when the latter is in the position shown inFIGURE 7, and into the firing chamber J2.

Second Modified Form of Engine The second modified form of thereciprocating piston pulse jet engine is illustrated in FIGURES it) to14 inclusive. FIGURE 10 is a vertical section through the engine andFKGURES ii to 14 are schematic views illustrating how the differentmoving parts function during the operation of the engine. The operationof this form of engine is fundamentally the same as the preferred formillustrated in FEGURES l to 5 inclusive, but it is accomplished byproviding the delay chamber in an annular recess in the cylinder wallinstead of in the piston and by providing a sleeve liner for thecylinder that has ports for placing the delay chamber recess incommunication with the interior of the cylinder. It is also notnecessary to use a transfer valve such as C2,, or a check valve similarto the flap valve G in FIGURE 1, because the delay chamber is not formedwithin the piston as is true in the preferred form of my invention.

It is best now to describe the construction of the engine illustrated inFIGURE 10. A cylinder R has a cylindrical sleeve liner S, mountedtherein and a piston T reciprocatcs within the liner. The piston has ahollow rigid piston rod T1 connected thereto and a disc valve Ureciprocates within the sleeve liner S, and it has a rigid rod U1 thatis slidably received within a bore rec, provided in the hollow rigidpiston rod Tl. The bore Hid is enlarged at 1% to receive a coil spring1532 and the top of the rod U1 is threaded to receive a nut Hi3. The topof the coil spring 192 bears against the underside of the nut 1 .33 andthe bottom of the spring bears against a shoulder provided at thejuncture of the enlarged bore portion I01 with the bore Ililil.

A crank arm liltis pivotally connected at one end to the upper end ofthe hollow rigid piston rod T1 and it has its other end pivotallyconnected to a crank shaft I35. The crank shaft carrier counterweightsres for balancing purposes. A rotation of the crank shaft 195 will causethe piston T to reciprocate in the sleeve liner 3. The cylinder R has aclosed end that is provided with a central bore for receiving the pistonrod Tl. A bearing 1%? is mounted in the bore and slidably receives thepiston rod T 1.

The cylinder R has an annular recess Rl that will function as a delaychamber in a manner which will be explained when describing theoperation of the engine. The cylinder sleeve liner S has ports M28 nearits upper end that place the annular recess or delay chamber R1 incommunication with the interior of the cylinder. An inlet passage Hi9communicates with the delay chamber R1 and with the inlet compartmentwhen the piston T uncovers the liner ports 2%. A. spring-biascd poppetvalve llll closes the inlet passage ltih during the upstroke of thepiston T and opens the passage when the downstroke of the piston createsa vacuum in the inlet chamher. When the latter event occurs, thepressure of the 9 atmospheric air will force air through a carburetor,not shown, and this air will mix with a fuel to form a combustiblemixture which in turn will flow through the inlet passage and past theinlet valve 110 to enter the delay chamber R1 and move on into theintake chamber portion of the cylinder R.

The cylinder R is also provided with a second annular recess R2 at itslower end which is not as large as the recess R1. The second annularrecess R2 is for the purpose of providing a bypass for the combustiblemixture received in the cylinder R and confined between the bottom ofthe piston T and the top of the disc valve U. As the piston T movesdownwardly, the disc valve U will also be moved downwardly until itsplug-shaped tip U2 closes the orifice to the jet outlet V. When thisoccurs, the periphery of the piston U will register with a plurality oflower ports 111 provided in the lower end of the liner S. The ports 111communicate with the lower recess R2 and they are long enough to extendabove the top of the disc valve U when it is in its lowermost positionand to also extend below the bottom of the disc valve so as tocommunicate with a firing chamber W1 provided in the cylinder head W.The downward moving piston T will therefore force the combustiblemixture from a point above the disc valve U into a point below the discvalve and will compress the combustible mixture into the firing chamberpreparatory to firing.

The cylinder head W carries spark plugs 112 that have their electrodesprojecting into the firing chamber W1 so that a firing of the sparkplugs at the proper time, by a mechanism, not shown, will explode thecompressed combustible mixture in the firing chamber and will initiallystart the disc valve U and the piston T, moving upwardly in the cylinderR. As soon as the plug tip U2 uncovers the orifice to the jet outlet V,the exploding combustible mixture will issue from the jet outlet todrive the engine in a direction opposite to the moving force of theexploding gases.

Operation of Second Modified Form of Engine The operation of the secondmodified form of my engine is illustrated in the schematic views shownin FIGURES 11 to 14 inclusive. Wall thicknesses of the engine partsshown in the figures are indicated by a single line and only essentialparts of the engine are illustrated. FIGURE corresponds with FIGURE 13in indicating the relative position of the parts at a particular momentin the engine cycle.

If it has been assumed that the engine has been running, then the cycleof operation can be understood by first referring to the schematicshowing of the engine in FIGURE 11. This figure illustrates the engineat the moment of ignition. The spring-biased intake valve 110 is closedand the intake chamber R3 and the interconnected delay chamber R1 arecharged with a combustible fuelair mixture. Also the combustible mixturewhich has been previously delivered to the firing chamber W1 is underhigh compression.

As the compressed combustible mixture in the firing chamber is ignitedby the spark plugs 112 the disc valve U and the piston T will be drivenrapidly in an upward direction and will impart energy and rotation tothe flywheel 113, see FIGURES 10 and 11. The disc valve U in movingupwardly will lift the plug U2 from the opening to the jet nozzle V.This will permit the now thoroughly burning gases to escape from the jetnozzle V in a high velocity jet which will give a forward thrust to theengine.

The rising piston T compresses the fuel-air combustible mixture aboveit, and forces this mixture under high pressure into the annular delaychamber R1, the gases passing through the upper row of ports 108provided in the cylindrical sleeve liner S. FIGURE 10 shows theperiphery of the piston T provided with inwardly and downwardly inclinedopenings 114. When the disc valve U and piston T are forced into theirtop positions by the exploding gas in the firing chamber, the outer endsof the inclined openings 114 in the periphery of the piston T, willcommunicate with the delay chamber R1 through the ports 108 in the topof the cylindrical liner S. The compressed gas in the delay chamber R1will now flow through the inclined openings or vents 114 in the pistonT. Since the inner ends of the vents 114 permit the gases to movebetween the bottom of the piston T and the top of the disc valve U, thedisc valve will be moved downwardly and away from the piston T asclearly shown in the schematic view of FIGURE 12, permitting the bulk ofthe gases to pass through the lower sections of ports 198 and to enterthe increasing space between piston T and disc valve U. A sufficientquantity of the exploding gases below the disc valve U, will have issuedfrom the jet nozzle V, to drop the pressure in the firing chamber to alower point than the pressure being exerted on top of the disc valve U.Therefore the disc valve U will move below the bottom of the piston Twhen receiving the combustible mixture from the delay chamber R1. Thetendency of the coil spring 102 to move the disc valve U into contactwith the bottom of the piston T will also be overcome.

The rotating crank shaft 1&5 through the connecting rod 104 will causethe piston T to start on its downward movement. FIGURE 13 shows thepiston moving downwardly to a point where the by-pass vents 114- willhave their outer ends in the piston periphery moved out of communicationwith the delay chamber R1. This will prevent the fuel mixture in thecentral chamber space bounded by the sleeve S and the piston T and thedisc valve U, from returning back into the delay chamber R1 through thebypass vents 114. Also the downwardly moving disc valve U will push theburned gases from the lower end of the cylinder and these gases willexhaust through the jet nozzle V.

FIGURES 13 and 14 illustrate the opening of the intake valve underatmospheric pressure and against spring as the descending piston Tdecreases the pressure in the intake chamber R3 and delay chamber R1,below atmospheric pressure. The fuel charge received in the cylinder andbelow the piston T, while the latter is at the top of its stroke isretained in the cylinder space bounded by the bottom of the piston andthe top of the disc valve U. This fuel charge has been partiallycompressed and is carried downwardly toward the firing chamber while theremaining exhaust gases below the disc valve are purged through the jetnozzle V.

In FIGURE 14, the intake chamber R3 and the delay chamber R1 are beingfilled with a new combustible mixture during the downward movement ofthe piston T. The disc valve U has reached its extreme downward positionand its plug-shaped tip U2 has closed the opening to the jet nozzle V.Also the elongated lower ports 111 in the sleeve liner S will extendabove the top of the disc valve U and below the bottom of the samevalve. Therefore the partially compressed gases in the cylinder portiondisposed just above the top of the disc valve U, will be forced into thefiring chamber W1, disposed below the disc valve. The downwardly movingpiston will force the gases from a point above the disc valve to a pointbelow or into the firing chamber.

As the piston T reaches the bottom of its stroke as shown in theschematic view of FIGURE 11, the springbiased intake valve 116 willclose and ignition will occur in the firing chamber by the spark plugs112 being tem porarily connected to a source of high voltageelectricity. The engine cycle is now repeated.

I claim:

1. In a jet pulse engine:

(a) acylinder;

(b) a piston slidably mounted in said cylinder;

(c) a cylinder head for said cylinder and having a firing compartmenttherein with an outlet communicating with a jet nozzle;

(d) a disc valve slidable in said cylinder and disposed between saidpiston and said cylinder head;

(e) said disc valve having a plug adapted to close the Outlet betweensaid firing compartment and said jet nozzle when said disc valve is atone end of its stroke;

(f) means for feeding a combustible mixture into the cylinder andbetween said piston and said disc valve for moving said valve in advanceof said piston while said piston is moving toward said cylinder head;

(g) means for moving said piston toward said cylinder head;

(h) a bypass for conveying the combustible mixture from said cylinderinto said firing chamber;

(i) said disc valve cooperating with said cylinder and piston forretaining the combustible mixture in said cylinder and between saidpiston and said valve during the movement of said piston and valvetoward the firing chamber and until said plug closes the outlet to saidjet nozzle and said valve is temporarily brought to a stop;

(j) said valve when in temporary stopped position and said plug closingsaid outlet, uncovering said bypass and permitting the further movementof said piston toward said cylinder head to compress the combustiblemixture and force it from the cylinder, through the bypass, and into thefiring chamber; and

(k) means for igniting the compressed combustible mixture in the firingchamber when said piston completes its movement toward said cylinderhead and is brought into a close position to said valve.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1: and in which (a) said discvalve and said piston are moved away from said cylinder head by theexploding combustible mixture; and

(b) the moving valve Will remove said plug from said outlet to permitthe exploding mixture to flow through said outlet and out from the jetnozzle to deliver a moving force on the engine for urging it in adirection opposite to that in which said jet nozzle faces.

3 The combination as set forth in claim 1: and in which (a) any exhaustgases remaining in the firing chamber at the start of said piston andsaid disc valve moving toward said cylinder head, being forced outthrough said outlet and said jet nozzle before the plug on said valvecloses said outlet; and

(b) said valve acting as a moving partition to prevent any flow ofexhaust gases from said firing chamber and back into the cylinder spacelying between said valve and adjacent end of said piston, the saidcylinder space containing the next combustible mixture that is to bedelivered to said firing chamber and keeping it from mixing with anyexhaust gases until said plug closes said outlet and said valve uncoverssaid bypass that places said cylinder space in communication with saidfiring chamber.

4. In a jet pulse engine:

(a) a cylinder having a valve closed intake port at one end;

(12) a cylinder head closing the end of said cylinder that is oppositeto said intake port end;

(c) "a'piston slidably mounted in said cylinder; the por- 2 of acombustible mixture past said spring-biased intake valve;

(g) a gas-receiving delay chamber in communication with said intakechamber;

(it) said piston when moving toward the intake port end of saidcylinder, moving the gas from said intake chamber into said delaychamber and initially compressing the gas therein, the gas aiding thespring-biased intake valve into closed position;

(i) the delay chamber communicating with said comression chamber fordelivering the initially compressed gas into said compression chamber;

(j) means for stopping communication between said delay and compressionchambers during the next novement of said piston toward said cylinderhead; the gases in said compress-ion chamber moving said valve inadvance of said moving piston toward said cylinder head;

(k) said cylinder head having a firing chamber therein;

(1) a bypass for conveying gases from said compression chamber into saidfiring chamber and being placed in communication with said compressionchamber when said valve is at the end of its movement toward thecylinder head;

(In) said fiiring chamber having an outlet communicating with a jetnozzle;

(12) said valve when in temporary stopped position having its plugclosing the outlet to said jet nozzle;

(0) the movement of said piston toward said cylinder head forcing thegases from said compression chamber. through said bypass and into saidfiring chamher for urther compression; and

(p) means for igniting the compressed gases in the firing chamber whensaid piston completes its movement toward said cylinder head and isbrought into a close position to said valve.

5. In a reciprocating piston pulse jet engine:

(a) a cylinder having an intake port at one end with a spring-biasedintake valve therein;

(5) a piston slidably mounted in said cylinder and having a delaychamber formed therein; the portion of the cylinder lying between saidpiston and the int ke port constituting an intake chamber;

{0) said piston having gas passages placing said delay chamber incommunication with said intake chamber;

(d) a spring-biased intake flap valve for said gas passages forpermitting gas to ilow only into said delay chamber from said intakechamber;

(e) a cylinder head closing the end of said cylinder that is opposite tosaid intake port end and having a firing chamber with an outletcommunicating with a jet nozzle;

(f) a disc valve slidable in said cylinder and disposed between saidpiston and said cylinder head; the portion of the cylinder lying betweensaid valve and said piston constiuting a gas compressing charnber;

(g) said disc valve having a plug adapted to close the outlet betweensaid firing chamber and said jet nozzle when said disc valve is atoneend of its stroke;

(h) said piston having an opening placing said delay chamber incommunication with said compression chamber;

(1') an exit flap valve for said piston opening and only permitting gasto flow from said delay chamber into said compression chamber;

(j) said cylinder having a bypass for convey ng gases from saidcompression chamber into said firing chamber only when said disc valveis in a position where its plug Will close the outlet between saidfiring chamber and said jet nozzle; and

(1:) means for firing the compressed gases in said firing chamber whensaid piston moves adjacent to said disc valve while the plug of thelatter closes said outlet leading to said jet nozzle.

6. The combination as set forth in claim and in which (a) a coil springis used for urging said piston toward the end of said cylinder lyingadajcent to said cylinder head.

7. In a reciprocating piston pulse jet engine:

(a) a cylinder having an intake port at one end with a spring-biasedintake valve therein;

(b) a liner sleeve mounted in said cylinder and having a first annularrow of Openings disposed adjacent to one end of said cylinder and asecond annular row of openings disposed adjacent to the other end ofsaid cylinder;

(0) said cylinder having an annular delay chamber provided at one endand communicating with said intake port and. with said first annular rowof opening in said sleeve;

((1) a cylinder head closing the end of said cylinder disposed oppositeto said intake port and having a firing chamber with an outletcommunicating with a jet nozzle;

(2) said cylinder having a bypass communicating with said firing chamberand with said second annular row of openings in said sleeve;

(f) a piston slidably mounted in said sleeve and having inclined gaspassages communicating with said first annular row of openings when saidpiston is at the cylinder end disposed adjacent to said inlet port; theinclined passages feeding gases from said delay chamber into the portionof said sleeve interior lying between said piston and said firingchamber;

(g) a disc valve slidable in said sleeve and received between saidpiston and the cylinder end lying adjacent to said cylinder head;

([1) said disc valve carrying a plug adapted to close the outletcommunicating with said jet nozzle when said valve is in a positionWhere its periphery is in registration with said second annular row ofopenings in said sleeve; the openings in said second row being longenough to communicate with the sleeve interior lying on one side of saiddisc valve when the plug on said valve closes said outlet, said secondrow of openings also being long enough to communicate with said finingchamber when said disc valve remains in the same position;

(1') means for moving the piston toward the disc valve for transferringthe combustible gases from, a position between the disc valve and thepiston into said firing chamber, the gases flowing through said bypassin said cylinder and being compressed in the firing chamber; and

(j) means for firing the compressed gases in said firing chamber formoving said disc valve away from said chamber for freeing said plug fromsaid outlet for permitting the exploding gases to issue from said jetnozzle and deliver a thrust on said cylinder in a direction which isopposite to the flow of gases from said jet nozzle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,920,444 1/60Jorgensen 35.6

CARLTON R. CROYIE, Primary Examiner.

SAMUEL LEVINE, Examiner.

1. IN A JET PULSE ENGINE: (A) A CYLINDER; (B) A PISTON SLIDABLY MOUNTEDIN SAID CYLINDER; (C) A CYLINDER HEAD FOR SAID CYLINDER AND HAVING AFIRING COMPARTMENT THEREIN WITH AN OUTLET COMMUNICATING WITH A JETNOZZLE; (D) A DISC VALVE SLIDABLE IN SAID CYLINDER AND DISPOSED BETWEENSAID PISTON AND SAID CYLINDER HEAD; (E) SAID DISC VALVE HAVING A PLUGADAPTED TO CLOSE THE OUTLET BETWEEN SAID FIRING COMPARTMENT AND SAID JETNOZZLE WHEN SAID DISC VALVE IS AT ONE END OF ITS STROKE; (F) MEANS FORFEEDING A COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURE INTO THE CYLINDER AND BETWEEN SAID PISTONAND SAID DISC VALVE FOR MOVING SAID VALVE IN ADVANCE OF SAID PISTONWHILE SAID PISTON IS MOVING TOWARD SAID CYLINDER HEAD; (G) MEANS FORMOVING SAID PISTON TOWARD SAID CYLINDER HEAD; (H) A BYPASS FOR CONVEYINGTHE COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURE FROM SAID CYLINDER INTO SAID FIRING CHAMBER; (I)SAID DISC VALVE COOPERATING WITH SAID CYLINDER AND PISTON FOR RETAININGTHE COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURE IN SAID CYLINDER AND BETWEEN SAID PISTON ANDSAID VALVE DURING THE MOVEMENT OF SAID PISTON AND VALVE TOWARD THEFIRING CHAMBER AND UNTIL SAID PLUG CLOSES THE OUT-